Handling Advice for Solid Tires

Here are some basic rules for preserving tires in use, which are important for your day-to-day business:

Rule Number 1: Sufficient cooling time for the tires

Whenever possible let the forklift tires cool down for the duration of one whole shift – meaning seven or eight hours at least.

Rule Number 1: Sufficient cooling time for the tires

Rule Number 2: Avoid recurring overload situations

Especially with forklifts, you have to distinguish overload on the front-axle from overload on the steer-axle in the back.

 An unloaded forklift has a latent overload situation due to its counterbalance weight in the back.

Rule Number 2: Avoid recurring overload situations

Rule Number 3: Adequate driving distance

An industrial solid tire is made for empty and loaded conditions – but too much of one of them has a potentially straining influence. 

An example: A solid tire is designed for travelling up to approximately 2000 meters either in an empty or in a loaded condition. 

As soon as this distance is exceeded, for instance with a forklift unloading a truck 2300 meters away, it leads to excessive heating of the tires – especially during empty runs. 

Here is something many people don’t know. A vehicle can suffer from overload, even in an unloaded condition, simply due to excessive long empty runs. 

Rule Number 3: Adequate driving distance

Rule Number 4: Adequate speed

 Solid Tires are designed for maximum speed of about 25 km/h or 16 mph. 

With rough ground conditions such as unpaved surfaces or rails to pass, the driver has to reduce the speed accordingly. 

Otherwise, it will put unnecessary strain on the tires and on the vehicle as a whole. 

Rule Number 4: Adequate speed